


A Million Bucks

by haldoor



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 04:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1592222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show, unless you count the mention of Aunt Deb as being one<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> Still don't own 'em; still make no $$<br/><b>Beta:</b> me, myself and I<br/><b>Summary:</b> Danny's having trouble playing hair-stylist to his daughter; who'd have thought it was in a Navy SEAL's list of qualifications?<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	A Million Bucks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluedelft](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=bluedelft).



> Written as a reward for [](http://bluedelft.livejournal.com/profile)[**bluedelft**](http://bluedelft.livejournal.com/)'s entry into a recent Weekend Challenge at [](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/)**1_million_words**. Blue asked for _some H50 with Steve and Danny and maybe Grace?_ I went searching for a prompt word, found 'laboring' and was somehow inspired to write this.

"Danno, it doesn't look very good." Grace's disappointed frown said it all.

Danny had done his best with her hair for the party she was about to attend, but Danny was no hairdresser and clearly what he'd labored so carefully over was not up to eleven-year-old girls' party standard.

He studied her in the mirror from behind, her sad eyes following his gaze. "I'm sorry, baby, I guess I missed the long-hair styling lessons I should have taken. Do we have time to call Aunt Kono?"

"Kono? For what?" came Steve's voice in the bedroom door behind them.

Both Danny and Grace turned, Grace's smile trying to surface as she caught sight of him. Running across the room, Grace threw her arms around Steve's waist. "Danno was trying to put my hair up for the party at Carly's, but he's been having trouble. And we have to be there real soon, Uncle Steve."

Danny winced at how let down she sounded. He could make his own hair look good, but trying to pin up longer, finer, prettier hair was a complete mystery. He shrugged helplessly at Steve as the man smiled sympathetically at Danny over the top of Grace's head.

"Let's have a look, huh?" Steve asked, kissing Grace's head around all the bobby pins Danny had stuck in. Grace shifted backwards and gave him a hopeful look. Steve squinted as he surveyed Danny's handiwork. "You know, if we just…" he began as he directed her back in front of the mirror and began pulling pins out. "Hand me the hairbrush, Danno."

Danny shook his head and handed it over, doubtfully watching Steve as he began smoothing out the tangled mess that Danny had created.

Minutes later, to Danny's growing amazement, Grace's hairstyle had been swept up into something that looked like it had been done by – well, perhaps not a professional – but a half-decent home expert, Danny thought as he tilted his head to admire the surprising result.

What was it with SEALs and their amazing ability to master any number of talents that Danny had no idea they could have acquired in missions? It made Danny feel sadly lacking, though he knew there were perfectly acceptable reasons why he hadn't attained the same skill level.

Grace looked delighted. "Uncle Steve! Thank you so much! It's perfect! Carly's gonna think I had it done by a proper stylist!" She wrapped arms around him again quickly, and then beamed so widely at Danny he could only smile back at her joy. "Isn't it cool, Danno?"

"You look a million bucks, Monkey," he told her, nodding his thanks at Steve as Grace dragged him out the door to the car.

~//~

Steve was on the lanai when Danny returned from dropping his drop-dead gorgeous daughter off at her friend's house.

"You, my friend, are full of surprises," Danny said, sinking into the chair next to Steve's and accepting the Longboard Steve held out to him. "While I feel somewhat lacking for never having mastered the art of hair-dressing, I am once again stunned to find out you possess a skill of which even the most attentive mother may not have quite the finesse to emulate."

"Considering how many pins you had put in there, it was the least I could do to make her look less like [Pinhead](http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008734/) and more like a Princess."

Steve's lopsided grin wasn't cruel though and Danny knew that despite the taunt, he'd done it to help not hurt.

"My question," Danny said, after a long welcome swallow of the beer, "is where'd you learn how to do that? I have trouble imagining you and your SEAL buddies sat around braiding each other's hair after a long day blowing up bad guys."

Steve took a gulp of his own beer and eyed Danny sideways, a shy smile curving his lip. "Mary had long hair when she was about Grace's age. That summer at Aunt Deb's, she and I spent a couple of weeks together before we had to go back to our separate schools. She used the same shampoo Mom had, and playing with her hair reminded me of when I was younger; watching Mom get ready when she and Dad were going out for dinner or something. We talked a lot about home in those weeks – Mary wanted to remember some of that – and… she liked me trying to recreate the styles Mom had used.

"I… well, since then, I never needed to put it into practice with anyone else, so I kinda surprised myself today. I guess I was better at it than I thought." He shrugged somewhat self-deprecatingly and looked away before Danny could answer.

Danny sipped from his beer bottle, quietly touched by the thought of a teenage Steve doing his sister's hair and talking about their thought-to-be-dead mother.

"Thanks, babe," he offered softly, the thoughts he'd had about feeling inadequate for being unable to efficiently coiffure Grace's hair drifting away in the ocean breeze that cooled them. The warmth of the image made him smile, and added one more piece to the slowly evolving puzzle that was Steve McGarrett.

~//~

END


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